


Hermit Rim

by Awkwardrains



Category: Hermitcraft RPF, Minecraft (Video Game), Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: A few things are changed to fit the plot, Alternate Universe, Crossover, Gen, Hermitcraft - Freeform, I know way to much about Jaegers, Jaegers (Pacific Rim), Kaiju (Pacific Rim), Kaiju are called Megas though in this story, The Drift (Pacific Rim), basically following the plot of Pacific Rim but with Hermits, not much though
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:09:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25921099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Awkwardrains/pseuds/Awkwardrains
Summary: 'We had once thought we reached the limit to our world.... turns out... we were wrong.'Megas attacking left and right all leads down to the end of the world. the clock is running out and the few remaining Hermits are about to face the end of it all to save their world.
Relationships: Charles | Grian & Taurtis, Oliver Brotherhood & Charles | Grian
Comments: 9
Kudos: 25





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> HAHAHAHAAH- HELLO.  
> okay, I know I'm supposed to be working on Broken Skies- but I could not get this idea out of my head and I had to write it down before I lost it all. 
> 
> Art is once again on my Instagram account ( @Awkwardrains ) of what the Jaegers look like. 
> 
> and again- It's been a long time since I've written so it'll be rusty. 
> 
> I do not own Pacific Rim (though I'd love to) nor do I own the Hermits (that sounds weird but you get the idea.)
> 
> Enjoy!

_Minetia. The central world that connected all pocket spaces of other realms. The main homeland for every Spawn (or ‘player’ as others have called us), and every mob. It connected us all, allowing for progression to be made. It was a safe haven…._

_Until the day the ‘Apocalypse’ began._

_I was only 15 when the first Mega hit._

_Megas are the equivalent to the monstrous mobs that had once roamed the nights of our worlds- only scaled up and more dangerous than what we Spawns were used to. Coming through a fracture in the worlds’ limits, beyond bedrock in what we would come to call the Breach, the first Mega tore through the city of Sandstone; destroying the coastal land within minutes._

_By the time the Mega had been taken down by the best fighters- 6 days and 4 hours; three more smaller cities had been destroyed._

_We waited for the dead to respawn. They never did._

_The connected realms had lost their bridge to the central world- forever lost in unreachable dimensions. The Nether and End portals no longer worked. Personal worlds and realms had crumbled and collapsed, leaving us Spawns stuck in Minetia._

_Panic grew when the second Mega hit. Laying waste to Turtle Reef and the surrounding cities before it had been taken down by bombs and brave soldiers._

_This time, we mourned the dead._

_We tried to move on and rebuild._

_But the third Mega hit. Then the fourth. And then the fifth._

_And then we learned. This was not going to stop; This was just the beginning._

_We needed a new weapon. Factions and Admins came together, pooling in their resources and throwing away any form of distaste to one another for the sake of the greater good._

**_To Fight Monsters, We Created Monsters of our Own._ **

_Thus, the Hermit Program was born. Mechs; thirty stories tall, bristling with weaponry and wired to respond to their pilots’ commands as if they were extensions of the pilots’ own brains... There were setbacks at first, the neural load to control the Mechs known as Jaegers were too much for a single pilot- too much information caused the brain to shut down or have seizures._

_Soon, top redstoners and admins created a way for two pilots to merge one half of their brain, left-hemisphere, and right-hemisphere, into a single organic supercomputer._

_We started winning._

_Jaegers killing Megas everywhere._

_But the Jaegers were only as good as their pilots; so the pilots became famous heroes._

_Danger into propaganda._

_Megas into toys._

_We got really good at winning._

_Then…. Then it all changed…._

* * *

  
  


“Sir we got a reading coming in fast over in Sector Seven-” A slime-human like Spawn said, eyes trained on the holographic screens that flashed a speck on a radar map. The information displaying the size and mass of the Mega that had emerged from the Breach.

“Signature and category…” A voice demanded behind Jevin- purple eyes staring into the map.

“Shi- Eight thousand seven hundred metric tons of displacement. Pegging the meter of a Category III.” Jevin announced, fingers gliding over a few keys and buttons, pulling up the information, and sending it out to the alarm system.

“Tactics and trajectory..” The voice belonged to Marshal Xisuma Void, face calm and collected with an air that demanded respect around him. 

Jevin scanned the deployment pings of the other Hermit bases around the coastal lines that faced the Breach. “Team Crafted sent out Mudskipper… but it slipped by without breaking the ten-mile line….”

That was the Jaegers/Hermits target distance for intercepting Megas. Letting one get past that line meant it would be hell to stop them once on land.

Jevin kept his eyes trained on the cold signal the Megas gave off, easily tracking its location since every single Mega came from the same place.

Xisuma watched the Megas’ signal grow closer and let out a sigh- defensive action had to be closer than what he would like. “Get the Skyarmy on the comm,” X demanded, “I want the satellite reading on screen. And get Grumbot on deck. Now.”

* * *

  
  


Grian heard the alarm and was moving out of bed before he was even completely awake, swinging out from the bottom bunk in the Polar Shatterdome’s officers’ quarters, grin wide on his face as he listened to the AI in the comms report over the spotted Mega. 

He turned around and faced the top bunk where his best friend Taurtis laid, still sleeping. 

“Taurtis, get up! Movement in the Breach!” Grian shouted, pulling on a shirt.

His friend didn't move.

“Let’s go, dude!” Grian climbed up a bit to the top bunk and lightly slapped Taurtis face a bit, shaking the tired American. “We’re being deployed!” 

Taurtis groaned and sat up- pushing away Grians’ hand from his face. “Great. Good morning-” he yawned, sliding slowly out of bed. He was not a morning person. 

“Morning-” Grian snickered, before spotting the holoscreen that lit up on the wall, displaying the information on the Mega. he whistled- “Category III, biggest one yet. Code name: ArrowHead.” The smaller hermit read out loud.

Taurtis just tiredly pulled on his shirt also- the two having slept in their combat pants for the night just in case they were needed. 

“What time is it?” Taurtis yawned yet again.

“Two.” Grian was already waiting near the door, bouncing on his heels in excitement. 

“A.M.?” 

“Yep-”

Taurtis grumbled- pulling on his shoes. 

There was a knock on their door and a muffled shout on the other side- “Come on boys! Time for the drop!” 

Grian grinned, listening to the passing worker leave before he turned to his friend. 

“Hey Grian-”

“Yeah?”

Taurtis finally grinned, more awake now- “Don't get cocky.”

* * *

Three minutes was all it took before they were in the suiting area; the drivesuit was a finicky and multi-layered piece of equipment. The first layer, the circuity suit, was like a wetsuit threaded with a mesh of synaptic processors. The pattern of processor relays looked like circuitry on the outside of the suit, gleaming gold against its smooth black polymer material. These artificial synapses transmitted commands to the Jaeger’s motor systems as fast as the pilot’s brain could generate them, with lag times close to zero. The synaptic processor array also transmitted pain signals to the pilots when their Jaeger was damaged. This had proven to be the best way to minimize reaction times, and Grian knew from experience that when you felt a Mega’s teeth bite into your arm, you moved faster than if you were just watching everything on a screen.

The outer layer was more armored, a shiny white polycarbonate padding that hugged close to the body- a spine piece that clasped in place like a perfect replica of their own. The outer armor was what would keep them in place inside the Jaeger's head, the Conn-Pod’s Pilot Motion Rig, a command platform with geared locks for the Rangers’ boots, cabled extensors that attached to each suit gauntlet, and a full-spectrum neural transference plate, called the feedback cradle, that locked from the Motion Rig to the spine of each Ranger’s suit. 

What sat in the front of the Jaeger's inner head was a console control, but most commands were either by voice or through interactions with the holographic screens that lit up before them.

Grabbing their helmets that would merge their brains into the neural supercomputer, Grian and Taurtis grinned, both now aching for the battle and heavy feeling of the mech’s movements. Once cleared for suiting, the two friends headed towards their Jaeger's head- stepping into the airtight locked space where two platforms stood. 

Upon stepping inside, the two Con-Pod motion rigs descended from the ceiling, lowering down so that the two pilots could step in and be connected to the mech itself. Boots clicked in place on the platform, latches locking the armoured feet down as small cylindrical points merged into the holes along their suits back- the spine now connected to the back of the Motion Rig. two armrests folded out and under each pilot's respective arms, a small metal cuff clasping around the wrist of the unused hand, while the other one gained the motion control for the Jaeger's hands and arms. 

Grian was the left arm and leg. Taurtis was the right. 

The tech crew checked one last time that each wire and cable were connected before they left the conn-pod, sealing the door behind them.

“ **Morning boys.** ” Jevins voice crackled in over the comm inside the head-

“Morning Jevin-” Grian grinned, checking the drift-analysis on a few screens before him. 

“How’d your date go with that one Spawn from the Emerald district?” Taurtis asked, grinning as he sent his and Grians’ ‘suit checked and cleared’ report. 

“ **Oh, she loved me-** ” Jevin replied, “ **Her boyfriend not so much.** ” He laughed. 

Taurtis and Grian chuckled, “You're going to get your butt handed to you man-” Taurtis laughed. 

“ **Engage drop, Jevin…** ” Xisuma's voice cut through the comms and ended their banter. 

Grian snickered as he heard Jevins’ small startled yelp over the comm due to X having heard their little conversation. 

Jevin was quick to regain his composure, quickly returning to business as he clarified the order. “ **Engaging drop, sir.** ” He said, still connected through the comms to the two pilots. 

Grian grinned as he heard that everything was in place. He glanced at Taurtis who nodded- both in silent agreement as they reached up towards the holographic screens before them and hit their respective buttons on the console- the AI in the helm voicing out the all-clear for the team. 

Within seconds, a loud metallic snap was followed by the latches that held the Jaegers head up to retract, the head now suspended by cables that lowered it downwards by the rail system. If Grian had to put a word to it, he’d say it looked like a large elevator- just without the box itself and instead a 500 ton head of steel and raw metal. 

The head fell down the shaft before lurching to a stop, proceeding slowly towards the lock mechanism that would hold the head of their Jaeger in place on the body. Gears turned and bolts shifted in place, securing the head and making the connection from the body, to head, to pilots. 

“We’re locked in-” Taurtis stated over the comm.

In just a few seconds, the mech sprung to life. Redstone alighting the inner workings as a mechanical growl signaled the awakening of Grumbot. Pistons hissed and detectors clicked to a steady beat before it was drowned out by the running jets of air to keep the inside of the Jaeger cool. 

Jevin pressed a few keys to input full command to the two pilots, no longer needing computer assistance for gearing up the mech. Jevin looked up from his computer, the glass dome that separated the control room from the hanger gave view to the large Mark III Jaeger known as Grumbot. Navy blue armor plating with red markings was the signature color for the two pilots- the Helms glass visor was a blue color that when hit by light in certain angles would show off a yellow tint. Jevin whistled- always have and always will enjoy the sight of a Jaeger getting ready for deployment. 

The mech itself was sitting atop a sliding platform- which started to move when the heavy groan of the base’s large bayside doors opened. Clicks and chains grinding against each other were a common sound as the platform moved towards the opening, rain pelting the outer deck with straight winds that deemed destruction. 

With a nod from X, Jevin released the script that held Grumbot on the platform, releasing it into the ocean- water barely reaching the knees of the Jaeger as the splash could rival that of a meteor crash. 

X leaned forwards and brought a comm mic to his face, pressing the button on the small base of the comm to speak. “ **Rangers, this is Marshal Xisuma Void,** ” Formal as always, “ **Prepare for Neural Handshake.** ” 

Inside Grumbot, one of the displays spawned a holographic representation of two brains and the thousands of links between them and the Jaeger's motor assemblies. Back in Mission Control, Jevin and Xisuma were looking at the same thing.

Grian grinned- neural handshake. The code name for when two minds meld into one to control an oversized mech. He had found the name pretty funny when he first heard it, the image of two brains shaking hands seemed like it was only something you’d see in a cartoon… yet here he was- about to merge brains with his best friend from childhood.

“ **Starting in four… three… two...** “ Jevin counted down.

At ‘one’, Taurtis looked at Grian and winked. 

Then they were pulled into Drift Space. The term for when two minds relay information to each other. Memories and past life experiences shared through the line. Thoughts and ideas told without words. 

Grian closed his eyes, watching as glimpses of memories danced across his vision; his and Taurtis. He saw himself in school, playing and building small structures out of simple blocks. He saw Taurtis’ memories of sitting on a beach, watching his dad fish while he played music on an old jukebox. 

Their minds overlapped and intermingled- memories and information flooding in smoothly. 

They couldn’t stay in the Drift Space though, they had work to do. 

The single thought was shared and agreed on without the use of words and the two pilots were back in the present, hooked up and ready to go fight the Mega. 

“ **Neural handshake strong and holding.** ” Jevins voice over the comm helped the two pilots root their bearings back into now. Two graphics of each pilots’ brain merged into one on Jevins’ screen- right and left making one whole. 

“Right-Hemisphere ready-” Taurtis stated. 

“Left-Hemisphere linked and ready-” Grian finished up. “Grumbot ready to deploy.” 

They each raised one arm, Grian in control of the left and Taurtis in control of the right, the unused arms following the other main ones and Grumbot did the same, confirming the link between pilots and mech were at one hundred percent.

In a fun show of readiness, Taurtis and Grian curled each hand into a fist and brought them together- a sign of wanting a fight. 

Jevin chuckled and was able to catch a small glimpse of X smiling at the sight. Both felt nothing but pride for the two pilots. 

“ **Boys,** ” X voice came over the comm again, “ **your orders are to hold the Miracle Line before that Mega reaches land. Copy?** ”

The Miracle Line… the last-ditch effort for maintaining the perimeter before the Mega could reach land. Named that way because, at that point, it was a miracle if a Jaeger could keep it from coming ashore. 

“Copy that-” Taurtis said before a small dot on a radar map caught his attention… he hesitated before speaking up, “Sir, there’s a civilian vessel in the gulf-”

X cut him off. 

“ **You’re protecting a city of two million spawns. You will not risk that for a boat that holds ten. Am I clear?** ” 

Grian winced.. He knew it was harsh, but it was true… one slip up could risk it all. 

Grian also felt the silent resistance from Taurtis through the drift. Looks like they were risking it after all- and he didn't argue one bit.

“You know what I’m thinking?” Taurtis asked, off the comm so X didn’t hear them. 

“I'm in your brain.” Grian grinned, answering to the plan Taurtis had asked. 

They both smiled and instantly hit the switch that engaged Grumbot’s motor controls. The Jaeger let out another mechanical roar, a spotlight sliced through the dark storm, and lit up the murky waters below. It’s warning horn blared out before it began to strode with ease through the towering waves, leaving the Polar Shatterdome base behind it. 

“Let's go fishing.” Grian Laughed. 

* * *

  
  


Out in the raging storm- a single small fishing boat was tossed around by towering waves, water crashing into the hull and throwing it’s men around like rag dolls. 

The captain of the ship shouted for his men to hold on and anchor anything down on the deck before he turned towards the center console- his second in command trying his best to angle the boat so that the waves wouldn’t capsize them. 

“We won't make it past the shallows!” the second captain shouted, fighting the wheel as the rutter it was connected to was pushed against the current of the waves. 

The captain looked at the sonar map and noticed a cold signal-

“What about that Island?” He asked, holding onto a rail inside the console as the boat was rocked upwards again by a 30-foot wave.

“Three miles-” He began to read the distance... Only to stop as dread built up in his throat. _There was no island._

“It's 2 miles sir- no… one!” The second captain looked up from the map in awe and fear. A dark spot ahead of the ship pushed the waves in the opposite direction… they weren’t heading towards the ‘island’. _It was coming towards them._

“Mega..” The captain said with dread.

The waves before them crashed against each other and with a deafening roar- a skeletal creature arose from the depths. Face mixed between the old skeleton mob and what appeared to be a shark of sorts- black beady eyes narrowing in on the ship. 

The captain was frozen in place- unable to find his voice to command his crew… then again… what could they even do..? 

Just as the Mega raised a boney armored hand, a second form emerged from the waters- blinding lights and mechanical noises announced the arrival of Grumbot, water sliding off it like nothing as it broke through the current of waves, rising up to where only it’s thighs stayed underneath the cold ocean. 

The Mega roared and brought its hand down- just a second behind of Grumbot grabbing the boat gently in one of its massive hands, turning its back to the Mega and taking the hard blow from behind- Navy blue armor plating holding intact.

Grian watched the holographic image of the boat float above his actual hand- grunting as he and Taurtis felt the aching pain from the blow to their backs, the nerve system alighting up in response. Lowering his arm, Grian guided Grumbots’ hand to place the boat a bit further back, away from the towering Jaeger and Mega that were about to try and kill each other. 

Once the boat was out of the way- the two pilots were forced to duck to the left as the Mega tried again to slash at Grumbot with its claws. 

“Firepower!-” Taurtis shouted- the right arm he controlled shifted into a three-clawed servo with a glowing plasma canon already building up pressure and heat to be released. 

Both pilots moved in sync- Grian catching one of the Megas’ arms while Taurtis brought the plasma gun to the Megas’ side. The first shot hit dead in the Megas’ side- making it howl with pain, staggering back a bit. The second shot sent it staggering back even more- blue blood pooling out of its fleshed parts while the bone armor cracked a bit. 

“Keep a lock on it!” Grian shouted to Taurtis, who was already charging the gun again to fire once more. 

The Mega lost its footing and crashed into the ocean- blue blood sizzling in the salted water… Silence followed... Taurtis glanced at Grian, both trying to decide if it was dead. 

Waiting a bit more- they declared it dead and turned around, facing the boat and its passengers. 

“Let's get these guys to safety-” Taurtis stated- Grian already moving his arm down to lift the boat back up once more so they could carry it to shore. 

Both pilots felt giddy at killing the Mega with ease- Taurtis calling in on the comm. 

“Job’s done, sir. Lit it up twice and bagged our fifth kill.” He grinned- already imagining the new tick mark that would be painted on Grumbots’ chest plate. He then switched the canon back into its compartment, returning the feeling of his fingers into the Jaegers digits. 

X voice was quick to cut in- tone heavy and strict. “ **You disobeyed orders, Rangers!** ” he was about to tear the two a new one before Taurtis cut him off. 

“Sir we killed the Mega and saved the vessel- before it even reached the Miracle Line… Plus, the blood is deeper in the ocean- the salt will dissipate it by the time it reaches the shore, so no poisoning to the lands and Spawns.” 

A short line of silence followed, Grian staring at Taurtis like he had lost his mind for cutting off the Marshal like that… but… it was pretty badass of him to do it...

X couldn’t go against the results of lives being saved… but that still didn’t mean he would let the two pilots slide that easy for abandoning orders. 

“ **Get back to your post. Now.** ” X order over the line. 

He was about to disconnect when Jevin’s eyes narrowed in a signature spike on the radar… all color drained from his face… 

“Mega Signature!” He shouted around the same time the alarms in mission control and inside Grumbot went off. “IT'S NOT DEAD-” He shouted. 

X stared at the map with dread. 

Grian quickly lowered the boat, pushing it away towards the direction of land, and reached up to swipe the information from Base off the screens so they could get a clearer visual of the area around the Jaeger. 

He and Taurtis scanned and turned around, lights reflecting off the moving waters and pelting ice/rain mixture. They couldn't see it- only waves and floating ice chunks. 

The comm lit up again and X shouted- voice no longer angry- “ **Rangers get out of there now!** ” he commanded.

...They felt it first. The wave of the Megas’ approach crashing into Grumbot from behind. They stumbled and turned around trying to regain their balance...

Taurtis side of the Conn-Pod collapsed inwards- fear rushing into both pilots.

Sparks shot out from damaged wires and rain pelted inside the helm- a rugged tear from the Megas’ claws leaving a gaping hole in the side of its head. A painful throb burned through their skulls- temple pulsing with heat from the damage the mech took. 

Grian hardly had any time to react before the Mega bit into Grums' right shoulder, razor teeth crushing away metal and sawing off wires before it thrust it’s head to the side, the arm flying clean off with a shower of sparks trailing after it. 

Taurtis screamed at the jolting pain of feeling the mechanical limb be torn off- Grian fairing no better due to their connected brains. Emergency lights strobed in the helm, burning into the pilots vision as all they could do was feel the Mega continue to claw into Grums’ chest. The holographic screens glitched in an out- lit up red instead of blue. 

“R-right arm is dead-” Taurtis grunted through clenched teeth, breath heavy and ragged. 

Grian barely managed a nod, nervous system full of fire. He weakly fought the pain and brought up his arm- the left arm and only arm still intact on the Jaeger. “O-overriding now.” He racked the plasma cannon and started to fire it up on his arm- it’s build-up taking long. Too long. 

Taurtis and Grian turned the mech to the side, staggering a bit when the Mega tried to lunge again. Waves crashing into them- both minds hardly thinking straight through the pain of losing Grumbots’ arm. 

The Mega was moving again and it brought its’ ugly head forwards, slamming into the chest of the Jaeger and causing the two pilots to be rocked around inside it. Taurtis was left with only controlling the right leg- so he tried his best to keep the footing up and tight in place. His head throbbed and he couldn't feel his right arm anymore…

The Mega known as Arrowhead brought its arms around the Jaeger, holding it in place as it dove it’s jaw into the other arm- causing Grian to shout out at the searing burn of pain that shot up his arm- the cannon still loading. It was taking ages and Grian was starting to doubt they would make it… 

Arrowhead roared and dug its left claw into the right side of the Jaegers' chest plating, metal bending, and mechanisms backfiring as they were knocked from place. Both pilots felt like their chest was being torn open- but they stifled their screams as Grian kept hold on the cannon that was overloading… one-shot… that's all they’ll get… He forced his aching arm to move, elbow bent so that the cannon was pointed right at the skull of the Mega. 

Arrowhead’s eyes locked onto the helm. 

“No..” Grian gasped- watching as the Mega narrowed it’s black eyes in on Taurtis through the gaping hole. 

Taurtis swallowed the bile that rose in his throat- face pale and consumed with an all-knowing terror. 

The Mega raised a claw and started to dig around in the opening- tearing away wires and more metal to reach Taurtis. 

Taurtis turned towards his friend who had tears cascading down his face… Taurtis heaved a heavy breath, fighting his pain, “Grian listen to me-” 

The claws stabbed into Taurtis back before flinging him and more of Grums' head away.

Grian screamed- from pain. From fear. From anger…. He had felt it. Heard his friends' last thoughts. Heard his last words. Felt his last breath… And all he could do was scream in the spiral of emotions that consumed his heart and mind… his mind… no longer merged with Taurtis… 

The Jaeger groaned and froze as the neural handshake was broken… it too almost seemed to cry out for the loss of its pilot. 

Grian cried and screamed- blindly fumbling his fingers to turn off the console and put all power into the cannon… 

Arrowhead continued to tear away at the mech- roaring with a sense of victory. It spotted the cannon and turned its head to start tearing into it. Still roaring. 

_Grian roared back and fired._

  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Two figures marched through the snow-covered beaches of Polar City… one being an older man with a younger teen following him- a Redstone detector of sorts in his hand as he scanned the metal ring around the floor… he and his nephew were out treasure searching- the early morning having calmed the powerful icy rainstorm from the night. A haze of fog and snow covering the land now. 

The older man was talking- speaking about how he’d like to find an old shipwreck with loot in it while his nephew followed behind, listening and looking around the empty beach- parts of a destroyed wall and buildings lining where the sand and dirt meet. The older man was cut off as he heard his detector go off- happily shouting for the boy to start digging in the area the machine beeped the most. 

The teen was on his knees in an instance, using a meshed shovel to scrape away the sand and snow- grinning a bit as he heard a clink hit the shovel. Brushing away more sand and snow, he grabbed onto a handle of sorts and pulled- a toy robot now freed from the cold grounds grasp. “Just a toy..” The teen mumbled, disappointed while his Uncle took the toy in his hands and looked it over... It was an old toy of a Jaeger… one of the first models if he remembered correctly… he couldn’t put a name to it though, seeing as there were so many Jaegers with complicated names now. 

He was about to try and cheer up his crestfallen nephew when the detector in his hand started to beep again- he shouted happily, hoping maybe they’d find something to help brighten his nephews' mood when he realized with awe that the detector wasn’t pointing them to look down at the ground…. But instead to look up at the fog-covered ocean… 

The older mans’ eyes widened as he whispered out in shock.

“Oh my god…”

Waves churned and the fog parted to reveal a towering mech… limping as its right leg moved with a heavy sway- right arm nothing but a few destroyed joint connectors and pistons… holes and tears littered the armor of the Jaeger, the metal groaning and crying out as if it was in pain… its massive foot hit the shoreline and instantly, with a saddening mechanical sob, it collapsed to its knees… the single-arm trying and failing to catch itself before it’s head slammed into the beach- glass shattering and the hiss of the mechanics dying down into silent gasps of released air. 

“S-stay here!” the older man shouted to his nephew, throwing aside his detector and rushing up the Jaeger's head- stopping just short of the pile of glass from its visor.

He was about to approach again when he heard a grunt and scuffling of movement from inside the helm… stepping back a bit as a white armored pilot weakly climbed out of the shattered visor, eyes blank and lost as he stumbled down into the snow, blood coating his side and parts of his armor missing, showing deep cuts and burns. 

Grian could hardly think. Could hardly feel… everything was blurry… his mind only repeating Taurtis name… his lips barely whispering his dead friends’ name. He saw the blurry figure of the older man… but hardly even registered his words of concern or that he was even real…. He stumbled around a bit more… body unsure of what to do as he looked down, seeing the blood that coated him… some of it possibly Taurtis… tears still poured from his eyes- their salty residue mixing with his sweat and blood- bile threatening to rise up and spew as his legs finally gave out, causing him to land harshly on his back. Black dots swarmed his vision- ringing in his ears too loud to hear the older man shout at his nephew to go get help and then shout for Grian to stay awake…

_“T..aur...tis…”_


	2. Where would you rather die?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahaha- sorry this took a bit, been drawing and whatnot. 
> 
> Anyways, hope you guys enjoy!!

Xisuma stared blankly at the large screen before him- faces of older Admins and Factions leaders stared back from their respective districts. Few though… were missing… his eyes glanced at the empty spot where the Crafted/Sky army faction used to stand… now lost after an attack 2 years ago… _2 years…._ His mind threatened to bring up the memories of the Grumbot pilots. 

_Grian had left without a word. Suffering too much from the accident that had killed his best friend… their Jaeger was nothing but scraps… now left to rot in the old city of Sandstone that became the graveyard for pilots and their mechs. Taurtis' body was never found.. Assumed the acidic blood from the Mega had dissolved what was left of the pilot… he had lost what felt like two sons that day…_

“Marshal-” 

A voice had X opening his eyes again- thankful and spiteful for being pulled out of his memories to focus back on this horrendous meeting. 

“I’m here..” X said flatly, face unamused as Jevin and one of his top Veteran Rangers’ sat in the background behind him. Jevin had his arms crossed and a small scowl on his face that was thankfully hidden by the shadows in the now-abandoned Polar Shatterdome… the loss of many Jaegers had caused the Polars’ district to forfeit the resources from the Shatterdome and into building that dumb, idiotic wall instead. 

“We are losing Jaegers and pilots faster than we can make them-” One of the board members, an Admin from the Emerald district, stated. 

X heard Jevin scoff quietly behind him. The vet ranger, TFC, glared silently. 

“-And Districts. Magma, Stoneledge, and Obsidian bay just to name a few…” this time it was a faction member from the Plains District who decided to add the obvious. “This is no longer a battle or strategy… It’s a slow, painful surrender. And we can’t surrender. I can’t surrender.” The faction leader said. 

“The Megas have evolved-” Another Admin spoke up, his accent close to a swedish/british mixture. “The Jaegers and Hermits aren’t good defenses anymore…”

TFC bristled behind X- who was glad he commanded the two with him to stay out of the screens' visual camera for the meeting. 

“I am aware…” X said, voice still professional even though at that moment, he wanted nothing more than to scream and shout at the board members that sat in their safety bunkers while his men fought and died…. In fact... 

“It is MY Rangers that die every time a Jaeger goes down. But I’m asking you for one last chance. Give everything we got and finally destroy that Breach-” X began only to be cut off.

“Marshal Xisuma Void…” It was that hippie Admin from the Petal District. “We’ve been through this before… The simple fact is that the Breach is impenetrable…”

“But we are evolving just as much as the Megas-” X started, trying to get his words in only to once again be cut off. 

“Evolving…? Or wasting valuable resources?” A Faction member asked with a cold look in their eyes. 

X felt rage boil in his chest… but he kept his calm demeanor and kept a leveled voice as he spoke again- “My Mega scientists have made large strides into studying the make-up of those monsters. You’ve seen the reports. The more we understand about the Breach, the closer we get to destroying it… We just need the funding.” 

X had a savage plan for getting rid of that awful rift in the sea- a team of Jaegers with an End powered bomb strapped to their backs and going into the Megas’ home and doing exactly what those things had done to their world. 

“Nothing is Impenetrable. That's why we need the resources to build a better Jaeger that can withstand the Breaches' electromagnetic current. We are so close to figuring it out.” X argued, hoping to change some minds.

“...The group feels otherwise, Marshal Void…” said the Admin from the Petal district. 

X steeled his face into an emotionless gaze while his chest burned and ached with how angry he was at the board members. 

And… almost as if the board members had rehearsed this whole meet… the Faction leader from the Canyon District spoke up, “The world appreciates what you Hermits have done… But I’m not going to expend my District’s remaining resources and soldiers on futile attacks when I could be protecting my people. And those people feel safer with the Wall Plan..”

_The wall… the damn wall…_ X locked his jaw, teeth clenching against one another. The wall was a plan to build a tall and ‘reinforced’ structure around every coastline and beach till the districts were just closed in behind flimsy stone and iron. 

“But they aren’t safe… The walls won't hold. We’ve witnessed that beforehand with the Magma District.” X countered. “And my scientist says that those attacks are about to become a whole lot more frequent… the time you spend repairing a wall will amount to more lives lost then with a Jaeger!” X had raised his voice towards the end. 

“The citizens have been moved closer inland and we’ve placed multiple layers on the wall-” An Admin began… 

“Safe zones that only the rich and powerful can have access to? What about the rest..?” X nearly snarled but kept his composer. 

“Watch your tone, Marshal.” The Admin from the Emerald district snapped- eyes narrowed at Xisuma. 

X glared back, vulgar and smartass responses playing through his head.. But he held back… “Fear and Walls won't save anyone…” He said, his voice still composed and calm but now with a bitter aftertaste. “You can huddle in your caves with hope as a pillow, but it won’t work...When the last Hermit and Jaeger falls and the Megas take the shore… they won’t stop. They will keep coming and then… Then!... There will be no more safe zones…Nothing… will be left.” X glared at each member, a challenge in his eyes for one of them to spout their bull to his face. 

“You have your answer, Marshal..” The Admin from Emerald said, “After the eight months needed to begin the decommissioning of the remaining Shatterdomes, the Districts will no longer be funding the Hermit program. You are free to continue it, and I’m sure that a man of your determination will find a way to keep Jaegers in the field. We will welcome their interventions when and if more Megas appear. However, this body has decided that the best interests of the Spawn race are served by acknowledging that our finite resources are more effectively applied to a sure defense than to a reckless offense. Good luck to you, Marshal.”

The monitors went dark. 

That was that. The leaders of the world had chosen flight.

  
  


X took a moment to recompose himself, closing his eyes and taking deep breaths before the boiling rage inside him grew into a monster of its own. 

“So that’s it? It's over?” Jevins’ voice was the first to break the silence. 

He and TFC slowly approached the Marshal, TFC with a grim and angry expression that did not suit the kind man well. 

“Suits and ties and flashy smiles,” Chef said, voice low and hiding the same inner rage X and Jevin felt, “That’s all they are... Good riddance...” Chef looked at where the board members had once been on the screen- the fire in his eyes almost smoldering the screen if it had the power to. 

X sighed and ran a hand through his hair- his lungs felt tight and a headache knocked on his skull… he looked down and saw the diamond 'military wings’ badge still on his suit… and with a glare, he removed it and tossed it aside… 

Jevin and Chef watched… they knew instantly and if those board members had been watching… the gesture would have been clear… 

“We don’t need them…” X stated. “They said we could continue as long as we got funding right..?” 

Jevin and Chef traded a knowing glance. 

“..Get my brother on the line..” 

_After all… this was war_

* * *

  
  
  


Grian stared at the sign before him.. _Polar anti-mega wall_ … If Taurtis was here- He would have smacked Grian so hard in the back of the head that he’d lose some memories… 

The thought of Taurtis tore through the ex-pilots’ heart…. Shaking his head, he cleared his mind and looked up at the ugly wall he had been assigned to work on… After he had left the Shatterdome, he had been looking for work and stumbled upon a good paycheck for a stupid reason… building the wall… 

Grian had wanted to be a professional builder before the Megas attacked.. His parents fawning over the idea of their son becoming a well-known architect made him feel disgrace for what he was now working on. 

The wall was made of anything strong- giving it an awful dull grey color with the occasional rust or mold acting as a disease along it’s plating… 

A cold wind cut into the open construction zone- causing Grian to shiver and pull his large, blue jacket closer… he normally hardly wore blue… but this jacket was Taurtis and it helped him get through the day by just having it on his shoulders in the cold… 

Grian knew his mind wasn’t right after the incident… Apparently, having a part of your brain merged with a dead one could cause this empty, numb feeling. Like a piece of you was missing… Sighing, Grian shuffled along with the other workers into the slightly covered section of their work zone- following them to stand around their boss.. (he thinks. Honestly Grian hardly ever saw the guy unless it was morning meetings… like right now), who stood up on a fallen section of debris from the wall. 

The boss cleared his throat, making the workers hush up so they could listen. 

“I got good news and bad news. Which one do you guys want to know first?”

A bit across from Grian, a short and younger male raised his hand up and shouted- “The bad news!?” 

Grian glanced at him silently… wondering how this guy kept such a chipper tone in his voice… then again- he doubted the worker ever saw a Mega up close and in person.

“Well..” Their boss began, “Three guys died yesterday working on the top of the wall.” 

Grian hardly reacted- it was normal by now for deaths to be caused with how fast they were trying to build the wall- and seeing as safety was forgotten in exchange to move faster, death was common. 

“Jeez…” The younger male winced.. 

_He must be new_ , Grian thought.

“Uh.. the good news?” the young teen asked- hoping it was actually good. 

Grian raised an eyebrow at the hopeful look in the teen's eyes. 

The boss held up three red ration cards, “I got three new job openings.. Top of the wall..” 

The awkward silence and shuffle from the workers said it all. 

The younger guy sighed, a slightly guilty expression on his face as he stepped up and took a card… mumbling apologies for the dead and mentioning something about how he had five mouths to feed at home… Grian didn’t hear much but he did feel a bit for the guy.. Remembering when Taurtis would eat half of his rations and then give the other half to workers who needed it at the Shatterdome… 

Grian shook his head and buried it into the jacket- he really needed to stop thinking about old memories… 

The second ration card was taken… but the third had no interest whatsoever. Grian didn’t blame anyone.. Working on the top meant a higher risk for death…

“No takers?” The boss asked, looking around.

Grian waited for a bit, before walking up and reaching his hand out. 

“I’ll do it…” 

The boss looked down, about to hand the card down before seeing who it was… he grinned a bit. “Oh? Flyboy still sticking around? You're sure you got the cojones to work up there?” It was smug… but Grian brushed it off.

“I’m comfortable with heights..” Grian shrugged… after being in a Jaeger that easily towered over this wall… he’d say the fear of heights was nothing but something for him to laugh at… 

The boss still hadn’t handed over the card… 

“Is that right? Well shut up and make sure to not Swan Dive off the top- I got nobody left to mop your remains up… comprende?” 

Grian ignored the harsh words- unphased by the tone. He just nodded and took the card, walking over to the elevator that would raise the workers going up. 

* * *

  
  


Legs wrapped around a support beam an hour or more later, Grian welded in the final block from his shulker chest- fingers numb from the biting cold winds that threatened to blow him off the structure… He gazed up and looked out towards the sea... Waves curling and forming white-caps before they crashed into shore… such beauty that could hide a monster from beneath… turning his attention back to the cooled off block he just welded together, Grian stood up and kicked it- testing its’ strength… thankfully it held.. Against spawn strength that is.. He chewed on the inside of his lip as he grabbed the clip from his safety harness and hooked it to a few scaffolding towers. He grabbed onto a pillar of stone and swung his body around so that he could safely slide down the beam towards the ground… already hungry for lunch.. 

Upon touching the ground, Grian unhooked himself and stretched- walking over towards the ration stand to get some bread for his growling stomach.. 

The sound of feet approaching him fast from behind had him turning slightly- the teen from before jogging towards him. 

Reaching Grian, the teen took a few deep breaths before speaking- “Your Grian right..?” 

Grian winced… figured he’d get noticed by the new guy… but he nodded yes anyways- his mother didn’t raise him to be disrespectful after all…

“Is it true what they say?” He gestured to the guys that had just come down from the elevator with him- “You used to ride a Jaeger?” 

Grian looked into the kid's eager eyes… He nodded though. 

“And then you crashed one?” 

Grian nodded- putting up his walls so as to not be hurt by the comment… crashed as in risking his life..? Yes. 

“Don’t those things cost a lot?” 

Grian raised a brow- the new guy was talkative.. But… he figured he’d just stop nodding and finally speak… (which startled the new guy), “Never got the bill-” 

The new guy stared at him- unsure if the joke was real or an actual joke.. 

Concluding the conversation over- Grian turned back towards the ration stall and grabbed his bread- cold fingers already removing the plastic as he went to find a place to sit down at… spotting some rubble of what used to be pillars- Grian headed over towards it and sat down, ready to eat and get back to work.. 

A person sat next to him. 

He looked over and saw it was the new guy.. 

Staying quiet, Grian focused on eating- hoping the new guy would get the message… _he didn’t._

“So- how did you end up in a hole like this?” 

Grian swallowed the stale bread- “Love to build. Love the quiet..” 

Once again the message flew over the new guy's head… 

“Me to- Oh! I’m Tommy by the way-” The new guy, Tommy, stuck out his hand. 

Grian looked at it for a bit before taking the hand and shaking it, forcing a small smile on his face. “I’d say my name but you seemed to know it already..” 

Tommy smiled widely at the fact Grian had spoken more than just a small sentence. 

“What was it like? I-if you don’t mind me asking…” 

“Hmm?”

“T-the Jaeger… what was it like driving one?” Tommy asked.

Grian paused and looked down at his bread- mind running over what to say to a civilian that never had to feel the terror of being inside a mech as it was torn apart. Or the feeling of Drifting. Instead.. Grian smiled and told it simple. 

“Epic-” Was all he said. Watching Tommy gaze at the ex-pilot with awe. 

“Your’s was Grumbot.. Right?” 

“Yeah.” Grian chuckled… that name had been a small joke and it turned into a Jaeger. 

Tommy looked like he was about to say more… when a hush fell over the workers on the ground- causing the two who worked on the higher section of the wall to look over… 

A small tv was broadcasting the news- a video being played from a shaky phone capturing a Mega tearing through a wall near the Plains District… it went through so easily… 

“...t-that thing… it.. It went through it like it was nothing..” Tommy stuttered out- fear and shock written over his face… 

Grian watched with an all-knowing look- _just as Xisuma said_. Grian blinked… he hadn't thought of that name in a long time… 3 years to be exact... 

_“This is the third attack to happen this month- Two more Jaegers destroyed.”_ The news anchor reported… showing clips that made Grian’s stomach churn as one Jaeger was shown being smashed inward by the helm. He knew this Jaegers’ name… Mudskipper… a part of what is left of the Sky Army faction. The next Jaeger shown getting destroyed had Grian turning his head away… it was a Mark III… just like Grumbot… only instead of from the Jungle District like theirs was- it was from the Sky District-… The mech was named Iron Eyes… he knew the pilots and silently mourned as the screen showed the jaeger being drowned and crushed in the sea….. That was the last of the Sky team Jaegers… 

But… with as much rebound from a kickball- the news anchor cheered up as she mentioned a Jaeger name that had Grian looking back up at the tv… it was one from his team… the Hermits.. _“But thankfully, Jaeger Vex from the Hermit team took down the Megas with ease.”_ The screen showed a ghostly black and gold-colored Jaeger wrestling with the Mega that looked like a strange mixture of a cat and a wither skeleton. The Jaeger, Vex, tossed the Mega with ease before firing a cannon blast of molten metal at the mega- which in turn screeched as its skin was melted off. 

The news anchor continued to praise the Vex pilots who were now on screen, cameras and microphones shoved in their faces… Grian blinked- he remembered always wanting to meet the Pilots of Vex when he was younger and still in drift training- Scar being his favorite of course. 

Said man named Scar politely waved at the camera, his face matching his name as deep claw marks ran through his skin. The other pilot was Cub- an older man with a glint in his eyes that Taurtis would call, ‘masterminds’. Grian was called that alot by his friend… 

“Bet you wished you could crash that one ey flyboy?” 

Grian turned to see his boss just a few feet away from him- grinning with ill intentions..

Grian rolled his eyes and returned to finishing his bread- Tommy blinking at the harshness in their boss's voice towards the Ex-Pilot. 

“Hey _Grain_ ,” He said Grians’ name wrong on purpose, “What do Jaegers and My marriage have in common?” 

Grian stayed quiet. 

“Both seemed good at the time- but now they aint working and cost a fortune to keep going!” The boss laughed.

Grian felt anger and bile rise in his throat… this man… this… this _civilian..._ Just basically insulted the Jaeger program… in turn, insulting the death of his friends and close comrades that fought for this piece of trash before him.

Grian was standing up- glaring at the grin on the boss's face that challenged Grian to come and strike him… but… before he could even take a step- Tommy grabbed his arm and quietly spoke, “Don’t… it’s not worth it…”.

Grian took a bit… before sitting back down- turning away from the laughing boss as he silently thanked Tommy, who handed him back his forgotten bread. Grian returned to picking at it… not really hungry anymore. 

The sound of a helicopter had him looking back up towards the tv- expecting the noise to come from there… but instead- he felt Tommy’s whole posture shift and one glance out towards the open field showed a military-grade helicopter making it’s landing on the ground- blowing snow and sand up from its’ blades. 

“....Well, I’ll be…” Grian mumbled to himself, standing up and tossing his ration aside as he and a few other workers approached the helicopter. The new kid stayed right next to him with a star-struck expression on his face. 

A figure in a black and green coat emerged from the helicopter's doors- purple eyes being the dead give away for Grian as the copter started to die down a bit. 

Xisuma approached the group of huddled workers- Grian happening to be front and center. 

“Grian-” X greeted, smiling a tad.

“Marshal…” Grian nodded- ignoring how Tommy looked between Grian and X with wide eyes. 

“Took a while to find you- mind if we have a chat?” X asked, glancing around the construction site. 

Grian looked at the workers behind him… before looking at X again.. “Step into my office-” He joked dryly, turning around and walking through the crowd that thankfully parted so that he and X could get through with ease. 

Grian approached some discarded rubble from the wall- sitting on a flatter surface as he watched X. “My office Marshal-” He joked again, but it was lacking its normal flare. 

X hummed and stayed standing- glancing around before his eyes finally settled on the ex-Jaeger pilot.

“3 years…. No?” X spoke up.

“3 years and 5 months sir-” Grian answered. Both knew the exact amount of days, months, hours, seconds, and minutes that had passed since the death of Taurtis…. But both knew it was still a fresh wound to mention such information for a conversation.

“You’ve been hopping around… Emerald District, Plains, Canyon… Each time it’s been a dead-end-” X commented.

“Yeah well… my job requires me to move around and all.” Grian gestured to the towering wall that mocked the two hermits below it. 

X sent a small disgusted look at the wall, forcing Grian to hold in a snort at the expression. “I’m aware…” The distaste rolled off Xisumas’ tongue with no hesitation. 

Another air of silence clung between the two, the background noise of blowtorches and pistons moving material with the occasional minecart screech of rusted wheels was muffled due to the thick, heavy air that hung around them. 

Grian grew to antsy and sighed, “All right... What do you want?” He leaned back and folded his arms. 

X raised a brow at him, smiling a tad, “I’ve spent the last 6 months trying to activate anything I can get my hands on…” the marshal began, eyes focused on a worker walking by before he turned back to Grian.

“I got an old Mark III in need of a pilot…”

Grian felt his heart tear into two emotions… _Was Grumbot fixed?.... But…_ one half of his heart overpowered the hopeful half. 

“.... X..” Grian took a deep breath, “...I can’t have another person inside my head…. Not again…” 

The air gained even more weight. 

X closed his eyes as the words his ex-pilot just spoke held too much agony and loss for a single person to carry as if a burden. _Guilt._ He reminded himself. 

“I was still connected to him when he died X…. I felt and heard everything... “ Grian stood up and walked past X, pausing only once he was shoulder to shoulder with the marshal. 

“I'm sorry… I just can’t…” He whispered, head lowered in shame and guilt that clawed him apart from the inside out. 

X closed his eyes once more, an old habit of his when precise planning was in action… Grian had only taken a few more steps before X turned to face the fleeing form of the ex-hermit, eyes opening to a determined scowl. 

“Haven’t you heard Mr.Batchelor..?” X shouted out, purple eyes focusing in on Grian pausing in his trek. 

“The world is coming to an end… So where would you rather die?” X took a step forward, voice gaining more confidence. 

“Here!?... Or in a Jaeger!?”

X smiled as Grian posture became tense, slowly turning towards the marshal… 

A sight X hadn’t seen in years… 

_There was fire in the gremlins' eyes again..._


End file.
